Melanie pulled away and looked at him. He could see from the look in her eyes that she was wondering if he had read her mind. “Papa Zach, it just seems too unreal. There are so many things. I mean Vampires are legends, myths and so are Dragons they never really existed. It is the same thing with Elves and I had never even heard of an Anthrofox.
"I know many people believe in ghosts but a necklace that allowed one to seek its revenge and to experience the feelings of eroticism through the body of the living again? All these stories are romantic and beautiful but they are too hard to believe. Your jewelry is almost magical in the very fact that it exists. It is incredibly beautiful and the artistry is beyond anything I could imagine. It belongs in the most famous of museums but to think it is enchanted just stretches my belief too far.” She lowered her eyes.
"Yet I know you believe it. I know you truly believe that there is magic in these pieces you are telling the stories of."
Zachariah smiled to her and held up the ring before her eyes. He rolled it between his fingers. “What if there was a way to prove to you the magic?"
"Papa Zach! I do not want to see your fantasies! I don't want to wear that ring!” Melanie nixed with a look that bordered on fright.
His smile deepened and a small laugh escaped, “No, sweetheart, I was not thinking of that.
"There is a second magic within this ring. This ring will not allow itself to leave this shop unless it is locked within the cabinet. That is the only way I can move it from one shop to another.
"I once made the mistake of trying to sell it to another. No sooner than they stepped out the door than there was a flash within the cabinet and it had reappeared inside. The customer accused me of trying to swindle him. I wound up giving him his money back and giving him a diamond necklace for his wife to keep him from calling the authorities."
Melanie looked at the ring as he placed it in her hand and said, “Go unlock the door. Keep your hand open and on the ring and step outside. See if what I say is not true."
He saw her look at the ring and then up into his eyes, “Papa Zach, you do not need to prove anything to me."
"Melanie, precious, yes, this is important. If you are going to become a major part of my life you need to know that the magic is real as it will become as essential to you as it is to me. Yet even more imperative is that you must decide whether you can live with it in your life because if you cannot then we cannot be together either."
He hated to say that for he saw that those last words stung her deep, even more he was now feeling the pain in her growing as it replaced the happiness that she had felt only moments before. Melanie looked down at the ring and back up into his eyes. He saw a look of determination cross her face as her jaw set and her eyes became focused on him. “Papa Zach,” she said, “whether this is really magical or not, you are not going to get rid of me that easily."
She placed her free hand over his heart and added, “There is a strong heart beating here, and there are times I can almost swear I can feel it beat faster when you look at me. I have seen your eyes shine when we look at each other and I know the feelings I have for you are returned."
Slowly she climbed out of his lap and looked at him then held out her hand and said, “Whether I return with this ring still in my hand or not I will still love you. No matter how shaken I am by the surprise that magic exists or how hurt you are by the knowledge that it does not I am not going to let that come between us. I want to find out for ourselves if there is a chance and not let this change that."
Zachariah could not believe his ears as he stared at the young woman before him. This woman may have been only a few hours shy of being eighteen but she had just shown maturity and wisdom far exceeding that of the one that had adopted her. His heart thundered with pride at the strength of Melanie's courage and fortitude. Her conviction that the love she felt for him was the genuine thing and not something imagined or just hoped for because she had not experienced it before.
Her eyes shone with the fire that he had only seen before in the eyes of his mother when she was helping to save a life. Melanie was determined to prove one way or another that she was going to be by his side. He knew she was going to be stunned when the ring vanished from her hand but he believed her when she said she would not leave him. To have that much trust in someone in this short of a time was a miracle. As her hand closed on the ring, he smiled. He knew in his heart he had found his One.
Melanie turned and walked to the door. Zachariah watched as she slowly turned the lock. He could see her hesitate and take a deep breath at the threshold and then like she was jumping from a plane without a parachute she stepped over the sill.
He did not have to see her face to know what her eyes were like. He could see the sudden glow that highlighted her and then the glow within the cabinet as the ring reappeared in the place where it belonged.
She whirled about and ran to the cabinet, looking within then she turned to him. Her eyes were wider than he had ever seen them and they were liquid pools that he wanted to fall into, letting his soul swim into their deepest depths. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. He reached a hand out to her and she slowly lifted a hand and took his. Guiding her to him he eased her back onto his lap and held her until her shock began to fade.
"Pa ... Pa ... Papa Zach ... I ... I ... believe you."
He kissed her forehead and as he did she bolted upright in his arms and made him bite his lip. Her eyes were bright as she looked at him, she obviously did not realize what she had done. “That means those stories were true!"
"Yes,” he said as he wiped blood from the corner of his lip. When she saw it tears came to her eyes.
"Papa Zach,” she held her hand to her mouth, “I am sorry, I did not mean to hurt you.” She began to wipe his blood with her hand and then kissed his lip to make it better. “I am so sorry."
He pulled her tight, “It is okay, precious. You were just excited."
Melanie snuggled against him, “Yes, you were afraid I would want to leave you, but the idea of those stories being true and me becoming a part of the enchantment makes me feel like Cinderella. I feel like I have fallen into a fairy tale."
"Papa Zach, that means you are my Prince Charming."
He laughed. “I might be charming, but I am far from a prince.
"Now sweetheart, it is time we begin to get ready for bed."
She hugged him tight again, then paused and looked at him, eyeing him carefully.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
She cocked her head and a quizzical look crossed her face, “Papa Zach, if you were widowed so young why didn't you ever remarry?"
As he stroked her hair and smiled at the curious look upon her face his mind drifted to the mirrors. Lilith had been too quiet. Even though she had encouraged him to embrace the relationship with Melanie he knew Lilith well enough to know that he should have still heard the occasional grumble of jealousy.
Zachariah knew it was Lilith's plan to share Melanie's body, but he suspected there was more to it than that. With the fact she was hiding every single emotion from him he knew she had to be planning something far more sinister than what she was letting on. Over the years, as things she had told him were true were proved to be false, he had learned not to trust her. The love he felt for her was more for the memory of the woman he had thought she was than for who she had truly been.
At one time he had thought that the monster within her could be separated from her and that if he could find away to make her human again, that he could have his wife and live a normal life with her. It did not take long after her death to find out how deep her betrayal had gone. Even then he had still had hope because the true prophetess had told him the table could heal all. He had hoped one day to have the opportunity to heal Lilith. It had taken him time to learn that the table could heal all but only if they truly sought to be healed. Over time he had learned that Lilith never truly wanted to be anything other than what she was.
The monster that re
sided within Lilith was Lilith herself. He knew that the table was not responsible for Lilith's actions but that somehow he had been condemned to this torment. Centuries had passed as he tried to find a way to be rid of Lilith and the curse that she brought with her. He had sought out one prophet after another, journeying from every port and city he could find. He spoke to the Oracle at Delphi with little success. There were many times his faith in God would begin to waiver but then he would meet a prophet of God and they would tell him something that only one of God could truly know.
They would tell him something about the creation of the stone, or about Lilith and his life. Sometimes they would even look at him and tell him his age. These were the ones he would listen to. It was from one of these that he learned that the Ritual of Commissioning was not supposed to have anything to do with Lilith. That a spell had been placed upon him binding him and the stone together in such a way that it could not be broken until The One came into his life. From that moment on he had dreamed of meeting The One.
Another prophet told him that The One would be the way Lilith would be reborn. That one bothered him but he also knew that if she was reborn that he could find a way to kill her. At least he would have the curse lifted. Now to find his heart so wrapped up with the girl that had that designation was tearing him apart. She would be the one to free him from the curse of Lilith, but he could not let her do it if it meant she would be taking Lilith into herself.
He had to find a way around it. His mind kept returning to the night of the suicide and he kept trying to figure out why. What had happened that night that was so significant that it could solve his predicament?
Zachariah could see that Melanie was waiting for an answer so he nodded toward the mirror, “You see that mirror back in the corner, the one with all the gemstones and gold inlay?"
Melanie lifted herself and looked over his shoulder. Zachariah shifted his head to the side to avoid getting a mouthful of her breast. Even though she was still covered by the black velvet of the evening dress, the dress did not leave much to the imagination. For a moment he could feel his mouth water as his mind began to drift and the idea of sucking her nipple between his lips to savor its sweetness filled his every thought. It took him a moment to push the thought aside. He truly did believe in the idea that there was magic within the power of sex and because of that he believed it was best to reserve the release of that energy until after marriage. If he were not a practitioner of his craft and if it were not a stricture of the things he had learned of his magic he did not know if he would have had the restraint that he did. Maybe, yet maybe not.
As she sat back down, he could see that she realized what had happened for she turned red and giggled then she could not meet his gaze. He could tell she was very embarrassed. She folded her arms over her breasts to cover herself as if to hide from his view even further. Her voice jittered nervously as she responded, “Yes, it is a lovely mirror."
"That is the main reason I never remarried."
"A mirror?” Melanie tried to look at it again. Her arms were still crossed over her breasts so that she could not make the same mistake twice. Zachariah could see from her eyes when she sat back down that she was confused.
Zachariah lowered his head, “I told you that Lilith committed suicide the day of our anniversary, killing herself and my unborn child. She was looking into a mirror when she did it. It was almost like she was watching the mirror so she could see her last breath."
He remembered running into the bedroom full of excitement because he had something wonderful to tell her and finding her in the pool of blood. One hand still clenched around the hilt of the dagger embedded in her heart, the other clenched around the mirror. He began to tremble and tears ran down his cheeks.
"At first I wanted to throw the mirror away. I even tried to destroy it, but I could not so I took it into my shop and sat it near the table. I fashioned a new frame for it, one that I could hang upon the wall because when I had tried to destroy it the handle had been damaged.
"There is something very strange about that mirror. One day it rattled upon the wall and when I went to investigate I saw a face within it."
Melanie gasped. Zachariah turned and he could see a look of fright in her eyes. He could also feel her emotions reaching out to him grasping him as if she was seeking him for protection. He knew she had guessed the secret to the mirror.
"Yes, Melanie, the mirror holds the soul of Lilith, and yes, she talks to me from time to time."
A look of horror slowly transformed Melanie's face. She wrapped her arms around Zachariah and buried her head against his chest saying, “You mean she can see us now? She knows about us?"
"Calm down, sweetheart. She not only knows about us, she is encouraging me to fall for you.” Zachariah looked toward the mirror himself half expecting to see a red mist rising from it and coming to seek revenge. “I do not fully trust her, but I know when something is to her benefit she goes along with it. She sees me falling for you to her benefit."
Melanie stopped and stared aghast at Zachariah. Her arms at her side, her jaw open. Slowly her mouth began to move but no words came out. It tore him apart that she was so frightened. He had to calm her down and try to explain better, “Melanie, it is okay.
"It has to do with the commission of your piece of jewelry and how special you are. Somehow she feels you are going to help her be free from her prison,” he kissed her forehead and then whispered in her ear, “and if I can have any say in the matter it will be to send her straight to where she truly belongs.
"Precious, please trust me, I will not let her hurt you."
Finally the silence broke through Melanie's vocal chords and her words were cold. “I do trust you Papa Zach."
Zachariah held her very tight against him and said, “As far as Lilith is concerned. I am not certain of her plans. I just know that the magic has led you here. And I know that in all this time the magic has never been wrong. So whatever Lilith has planned, good or bad, I will protect you."
Melanie wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “Thank you, Papa Zach."
Softly Melanie whispered, “I am tired. Can we go to bed?"
Without a thought, and in defiance of his age, Zachariah picked up Melanie like she weighed nothing, “Yes, sweetheart, we can.” It did not matter anymore whether she knew he was stronger than he should be for his age, she already knew about the magic of the shop. She had seen it with her own eyes.
The young girl laughed, “Papa Zach, there is no way you are over a hundred years old."
He laughed as he kissed her lips then he whispered to her, “According to the birth certificate on file I will be one hundred and ten very soon."
Melanie gulped, “No way!"
"Yes, way!” Zachariah smiled as he carried her up the stairs and told her, “in fact, I share your birth date. Only I was born at midnight in what is now called Jordan. So I will turn one hundred and ten about seven hours before you turn eighteen."
Melanie laughed as they neared the top of the steps. “Eight."
"What?” Zachariah asked.
"I was born in Illinois not New York so I actually do not turn eighteen until one in the morning.” She kissed his lips, “We will have to remember that."
A light flashed in his head before he opened the door to the bedroom and said, “Yes we will."
He pushed open the door and carried her over to the bed where he set her down. Then he went to a double doored closet and pulled out the hidden bed and laid it down and began to make it but Melanie interrupted him.
"Papa Zach, I trust you. I know you will not take advantage of me.
"I look at your eyes and I have never felt so loved.” Melanie looked at Zachariah and he saw her gulp then lower her eyes. She clasped her hands in her lap and her voice was soft and sullen. Like before her emotions began to come off of her in waves and when they hit him he could feel his own tears begin to rise, she was in so much pain and despair he wanted to run and pull her into h
is arms but he could also tell she needed to tell him what was bothering her. If he interrupted her now she would not be able to get it out of her system and he wouldn't be able to help her to voice it. It was now or never.
"You said my mother was here tonight. Then I know you know I am adopted. She tells everyone. She also tells them that she does not love me and never even tried.
"Papa Zach, my entire life, I have not felt loved, and maybe that is why your kindness touched me so much. Others around here have been kind to me, but most have tried to use me. The boys wanted in my pants. The older men wanted there too. The few that did not want something and that were truly kind I have been thankful for. Yet there was something truly different with you.
"I have never had a boyfriend, and yet I know I love you. I know I do not want to sleep alone tonight, and I also know that even if we share a bed you will not force yourself on me. You will honor my wish to remain a virgin until I am married. So please, put that bed back up and lay down with me.” Melanie patted the bed and looked at Zachariah with eyes so pleading that he could not refuse.
He began to feel the waves of her emotions hitting him but he knew he had to make his mind up without her emotions persuading him. Over the years he had learned how to close off portions of his mind from Lilith when he had needed to. Though he did not want to close off his mind and heart from Melanie, right now he had to think with his own mind and not with her emotions so he imagined himself sitting upon the stone table and a dome of golden light sealing him off from all intrusions.
The waves ceased. Suddenly he felt empty and he hated it. He immediately wanted to tear down the wall but he had to think on his own and clear headed. Was this right? He knew he did love Melanie. He could tell that, it was not just her emotions. He could feel his need for her as well as her need for him. As he looked at her pleading eyes he wanted to sit beside her and pull her into his arms and love her, and show her what real love was.
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